Monday, February 5, 2018

Family History Writing Challenge Day 5

Today I want to recap my lineage back to Thompson Hightower.

Kimberly Kubler to my father, LeRoy C. Kubler. Source: my birth certificate

LeRoy C. Kubler to his mother, Lillian Hungler. Sources: LeRoy’s birth certificate; marriage certificate; death certificate; 1920 and 1930 censuses; his father’s death notice

Lillian Hungler to her father, Albert M. Hungler. Sources: Lillian’s birth record and marriage record; 1900 census

Albert M. Hungler to his mother, Anna Hightower. Sources: Albert’s marriage record to second wife Matilda Stritzinger in 1906; 1870 and 1880 censuses; Albert’s death certificate

Anna Hightower to her father, Thompson Hightower. Sources: 1850 and 1860 censuses


A working theory is that Thompson Hightower, b. 1815, was the youngest son of George Hightower, Jr. and Frances Ann (Hall) Hightower. There are literally hundreds of family trees online that have Thompson placed in this family, along with Mary Polly b. 1797, Austin b. 1799, Rolla b. 1802, Richard b. 1812, and Archibald b. 1814.

The problem is that each of these family trees lists only one source linking Thompson to George Hightower. The source is a Find A Grave memorial for George, who was buried in the Denson Pioneer Cemetery in Ursa, Adams County, Illinois. The Find A Grave website is totally volunteer-driven. People upload information and photos from graves they have visited. The man who originally set up the memorial for George is now deceased, so I have no way of knowing how he came up with the information he listed for George. The online memorial gives quite a bio on George and his wife, Frances Ann. It further indicates that the couple had the following children: Polly b. 3 September 1797, Austin b. 15 December 1799, Rawleigh b. 1802, Richard born 6 August 1812, Archibald b. about 1814, and Thompson b. about 1815.

George and Frances Ann stones in Denson Pioneer Cemetery

The Hightower online memorial is a very tenuous tie, at best. My future posts will illustrate the steps I have taken to prove and/or disprove Thompson’s parentage.

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